hyposalinity
- Thread starter kiana
- Start date
You can not do hyposalinity on any type of display tank except for fish only. That means no tanks that have live rock, inverts, corals.
O.S.T. stands for Osmotic Shock Therapy which is commonly referred to in the hobby as hyposalinity [water that is deficient in sea salt]. Essentially, O.S.T. simply places the infectors [Cryptocaryon parasite---ick/ich] in an environment in which they cannot survive while the host, (or infected fish) can. This remedy WILL NOT work in reef systems, invert tanks or FOWLR as it incorporates lowering the specific gravity of the entire system [hospital tank] to 1.009 which is not tolerated by inverts or LR.
To drop the salinity, this is done as you would do a normal water change. However, you are simply replenishing your tank with fresh RO/DI water---not salt water! Monitor the lowering closely so as to not reduce it too fast. Usually over a period of 48 hours is fine. The bacteria colony which is the biological support for your tank will survive, the fish be perfectly fine, but the ich will not. By lowering the salinity, you will also be lowering the osmotic pressure of the water. Fish tolerate this treatment very well, in fact, once the water become hyposaline, you will likely note a significant improvement in your fish health and appetite. There is no reason to fear this treatment. You can do a water-change out, in small increments every half hr or so.
Your goal is to drop the specific gravity to 1.009 [48-hrs] gradually. Once all signs of the parasite are gone, then keep your fish in this hypo-saline water for 3-4 wks. If all is well, then you can gradually [over the course of 4-5 days] bring the specific gravity [salinity] back up to normal levels . If all is well after a week, then return the fish to their main tank.
When the fish are eating, offer them quality and varied food soaked in garlic, zoe/zoecon, vitamin C.
O.S.T. stands for Osmotic Shock Therapy which is commonly referred to in the hobby as hyposalinity [water that is deficient in sea salt]. Essentially, O.S.T. simply places the infectors [Cryptocaryon parasite---ick/ich] in an environment in which they cannot survive while the host, (or infected fish) can. This remedy WILL NOT work in reef systems, invert tanks or FOWLR as it incorporates lowering the specific gravity of the entire system [hospital tank] to 1.009 which is not tolerated by inverts or LR.
To drop the salinity, this is done as you would do a normal water change. However, you are simply replenishing your tank with fresh RO/DI water---not salt water! Monitor the lowering closely so as to not reduce it too fast. Usually over a period of 48 hours is fine. The bacteria colony which is the biological support for your tank will survive, the fish be perfectly fine, but the ich will not. By lowering the salinity, you will also be lowering the osmotic pressure of the water. Fish tolerate this treatment very well, in fact, once the water become hyposaline, you will likely note a significant improvement in your fish health and appetite. There is no reason to fear this treatment. You can do a water-change out, in small increments every half hr or so.
Your goal is to drop the specific gravity to 1.009 [48-hrs] gradually. Once all signs of the parasite are gone, then keep your fish in this hypo-saline water for 3-4 wks. If all is well, then you can gradually [over the course of 4-5 days] bring the specific gravity [salinity] back up to normal levels . If all is well after a week, then return the fish to their main tank.
When the fish are eating, offer them quality and varied food soaked in garlic, zoe/zoecon, vitamin C.
mjepson
New Member
I am having the same issue, I have a 90 gal. reef system that is about three to four weeks old. I have about 80 to 100 lbs of cured live rock(about 3 yrs) I have 60 lbs of new argonite live sand. I am having success with most all of my corals, my levels are all pretty good except my nitrates are about 40. But to the main issue, ICK, or I think it is. I am hoping it is not the marine velvet. I am not sure how to distinguish the difference, since I have never seen it. I have read all about it and think I am dealing with a very bad case of Ick.
Tank Stock
I have a Chevron tang, Purple Tang, six line wrasse, Marroon Clown, Percula Clown, and newly added baby Juv Yellow Watchman goby, Scooter Blenny, and Green Mandarin Goby.
I have tons of Nassarius snails, Turbo Snails, and Astreus Snails, with two queen conchs.
I have a sand sifter star, coral banded shrip, as well as a skunk cleaner shrimp. 6 scarlet red hermits and a sally lightfoot.
My corals, Fox coral, Green frilled mushroom, Candy coral, Button Polyps, Galaxia, Aleveopora, and Clove Polyps, ( is doing very bad because of the brown alegea cycle? NEED HELP HERE TOO!!!)
qUITE THE STOCK FOR A MONTH OLD TANK, I JUMPED IN TOO QUICK. so far I am doing ok on most of my things thoug, i think it is because I used my cured rock from a 30 gallon I had before the 90.
I did not put my new fish into a quaranteen before putting them in my tank thus desease. I now have set my 30 gallon back up as a quarantine tank, should I take all of my fish and put them into this tank even if they do not show signs? (Like the clowns?) I don't want to leave the reef without one fish for cycling. I am very concerned as my tangs are not eating as of today. I saW them eEat this morning, but the speckles are all over, and I need to act qickley, I would die if my Chevron bites the dust. With this Hypo method will they start eating again once the ick starts to diminish.
Thanks, Matt J
Tank Stock
I have a Chevron tang, Purple Tang, six line wrasse, Marroon Clown, Percula Clown, and newly added baby Juv Yellow Watchman goby, Scooter Blenny, and Green Mandarin Goby.
I have tons of Nassarius snails, Turbo Snails, and Astreus Snails, with two queen conchs.
I have a sand sifter star, coral banded shrip, as well as a skunk cleaner shrimp. 6 scarlet red hermits and a sally lightfoot.
My corals, Fox coral, Green frilled mushroom, Candy coral, Button Polyps, Galaxia, Aleveopora, and Clove Polyps, ( is doing very bad because of the brown alegea cycle? NEED HELP HERE TOO!!!)
qUITE THE STOCK FOR A MONTH OLD TANK, I JUMPED IN TOO QUICK. so far I am doing ok on most of my things thoug, i think it is because I used my cured rock from a 30 gallon I had before the 90.
I did not put my new fish into a quaranteen before putting them in my tank thus desease. I now have set my 30 gallon back up as a quarantine tank, should I take all of my fish and put them into this tank even if they do not show signs? (Like the clowns?) I don't want to leave the reef without one fish for cycling. I am very concerned as my tangs are not eating as of today. I saW them eEat this morning, but the speckles are all over, and I need to act qickley, I would die if my Chevron bites the dust. With this Hypo method will they start eating again once the ick starts to diminish.
Thanks, Matt J
Hopefully all those fish are rather SMALL, else you will have a really hard time with them in a 30 gal QT.
WOW, you really OVERSTOCKED a new tank!
First Read the FAQ section which is stickied to the top of this forum. What do you have to measure salinity??
If what you have is velvet, then most likely the fish will all be dead by the time you read this. Ich looks like salt sprinkled on fish, whereas velvet looks more like powder. Velvet kills very rapidly.
Yes, go ahead and use the procedure I describe here. As you lower the salinity, the fishs' appetite will increase. YOU MUST be sure to maintain water quality in your hospital tank. It must not be allowed to cycle. Do not use swingarm hydrometer to measure salinity. If you don't have a refractometer, then use a glass hydrometer.
WOW, you really OVERSTOCKED a new tank!
First Read the FAQ section which is stickied to the top of this forum. What do you have to measure salinity??
If what you have is velvet, then most likely the fish will all be dead by the time you read this. Ich looks like salt sprinkled on fish, whereas velvet looks more like powder. Velvet kills very rapidly.
Yes, go ahead and use the procedure I describe here. As you lower the salinity, the fishs' appetite will increase. YOU MUST be sure to maintain water quality in your hospital tank. It must not be allowed to cycle. Do not use swingarm hydrometer to measure salinity. If you don't have a refractometer, then use a glass hydrometer.
dolciflyer
Member
beth,
i'm wondering if the hyposalinity treatment works on most parasites. i have an adult koran angel that is suffering from flatworms. i have done the freshwater dip for 3 to 4 minutes about 4 times over the last 4 months, and the worms always seem to return. none of the other fish in the aquarium suffer from anything at all to my knowledge.
thx
i'm wondering if the hyposalinity treatment works on most parasites. i have an adult koran angel that is suffering from flatworms. i have done the freshwater dip for 3 to 4 minutes about 4 times over the last 4 months, and the worms always seem to return. none of the other fish in the aquarium suffer from anything at all to my knowledge.
thx
mjepson
New Member
I used formalin in my 30 gallon QT and the Ick seemed to clear up after the first day. I still continued two more treatments and all of my fish have cleaned up totally, is it safe to put them back into my 90 gallon?
They tangs are the largest and they are only about 4 inches, but with all of my fish in the 30 I am feeling like they need to get home< so they don't overpoop the 30 gal. will the ick come back, I know it is in the 90 gallon, as it hasnt been long enough to live out its cycle, but I can't really keep all of my fish in the 30,Can I?
Thanks,
Matt J
They tangs are the largest and they are only about 4 inches, but with all of my fish in the 30 I am feeling like they need to get home< so they don't overpoop the 30 gal. will the ick come back, I know it is in the 90 gallon, as it hasnt been long enough to live out its cycle, but I can't really keep all of my fish in the 30,Can I?
Thanks,
Matt J
mjepson
New Member
About the hydrometer,I went to the closest store (not my good specialty stores that I like) and bought a glass hydrometer that had a thermometer in it for like three dollars, I am feeling that it is not what everyone is talking about though. It will measure the 1.009 but it is not exactly marked on the unit. Could you describe the unit you are speaking of, is it a long glass "bobber" with a thermometer in it? or is it like the battery testing units that are glass and have all of the little colored balls in it?
Matt J
Matt J